It will be Cook’s first season in the BTCC driving the Honda Civic Type R and he hopes to make a big impact this year after enjoying his best season yet in 2018 where he took two wins at both Donington Park and Thruxton as well as finishing in second place a further four times.

“This is a really exciting opportunity for me as there is huge potential for us to get some great results for BTC Racing in 2019 and beyond,” said Cook.

“The Honda Civic is a car that I’ve wanted to race for some time and BTC Racing is undeniably a team that has made an impressive entry to the BTCC in the last two years.”

“Having met with Steve (Dudman), Bert (Taylor) and the team at their impressive new facilities in Brackley, it’s already very clear that we all share the same objectives and desire to succeed this season. They have all the personnel and resources to give me a great chance to be fighting for championship honours this year and give me my best chance to-date at becoming a BTCC champion.”

Team Principal Bert Taylor is delighted with the signing of Cook for this season and is eagerly anticipating the 2019 campaign with the opportunities that the move presents for both driver and team.

“I’ve known Josh from day one of his touring car career, where he has consistently shown the same passion and desire that we have here at BTC Racing to succeed. He’s already a proven race winner and signing him for this season fits the team’s ethos of hard work at every level as we strive for success. Josh has all the credentials to be a future BTCC champion,” said Taylor.

“As a team, we love being part of the BTCC. It’s a highly competitive championship, with lots of top-class drivers and teams. We are a small privately-run outfit, but we feel we can improve on last year and make 2019 an even more exciting season with our two drivers.”

Cook will compete in a Honda Civic for the first time in his BTCC career. Credit: BTCC.net / Jakob Ebrey Photography

With the team continuing to use the Honda Civic NGTC cars, Team Engineer Ben Taylor is confident of further improvement during the 2019 season.

“We are continuing our journey this year with more confidence and knowledge than we started with last season for sure, and Josh is now a race winner since I last worked with him,” added Taylor

“We are continually looking to improve our performance further after the bar we set ourselves during the 2018 season. After a good first season with the Hondas, and with support from Team Dynamics, we believe the car will be even better this year.”

“Our aim is to close the gap and turn ourselves into front-runners every weekend and we are confident that together with both Josh and Chris on board we have the best line-up to achieve this.”